Englishman's Home

I'm hesitant to add this route, since I didn't exactly free climb the crux (though my partner did). However, it's an excellent line that should be part of the database. Another reason why I want to add it is because it forms part of a linkup that I want to rave about. P1 might be S if the gear in corners 3 and 4 is placed while free climbing.

This climb is a series of short, right-facing corners between

Athlete's Feat

and

Country Club Crack

.

P1: Start with

Athlete's

P1. After doing the mantle, go straight up the slab to the base of the first corner. You can place an OK #2 RP (or maybe a yellow ballnut) at the base of your corner to protect a couple 5.9ish moves to a finger-size slot where you get your first real pro. Note 1: if you blow this and you didn't place the RP or it doesn't hold, you're decking. Note 2: When my partner followed the pitch, he had to battle some wasps for possession of the finger slot; the wasps were not an issue when I was leading, thank God. Continue up the corner with good gear until you feel it's time to move left to the next corner. Note 3: excellent #4 Rock placements at the bottom and top of the 2nd corner. Move left to 3rd and 4th corners as appropriate. Note 4: decent #4 RP at the top of the 3rd corner, but I am not sure how feasible it is to place while free climbing. The climbing gets much easier after corner 4 -- traverse left to the anchors at the end of

Athlete's Feat

P2. This pitch is quite hard for a Boulder Canyon 11 and possibly height-dependent.

P2: The rope will run much better if the belayer ties in with a long (~20') tether. Traverse back right the corner system. Steep jamming and laybacking (old fashioned 10+) with small to medium nuts and small SLCDs gets you 30' up the corner where the route joins

Country Club

about 10' below the roof. Continue up

CC

to its second belay. The three star rating includes doing P2.

Variation (Athlete's Country Home? Englishman's Crack Feat? Shropshire Lad?): Combine P1 and P2 for THE BEST PITCH IN BOULDER CANYON (!?!) if not the Front Range (!?!?!): a 150' pitch with three or four different types of 5.11 climbing. Bring a lot of wires, small cams and quickdraws.

Pitch 1: Gear from #2 RP to #2 Friend with key sizes in the blue, yellow and orange TCU range and most importantly, at least 2 #4 Rocks or equivalent. The crux has just enough pro to be completely safe, if you can place it. Pitch 2: P1 gear plus some larger cams for the second half of Country Club P2 (e.g. gold and blue Camalot).